The Lawfare Podcast

Episode: The Now: Anna Bower's Signal Exchange with Lindsey Halligan
Date: October 21, 2025
Host: Ben Wittes (Lawfare Editor-in-Chief)
Guest: Anna Bower (Lawfare Senior Editor)

Episode Overview

In this episode of Lawfare's new livestream series "The Now," Ben Wittes and Anna Bower delve into the extraordinary and highly unusual Signal exchange between Anna and interim United States Attorney Lindsey Halligan. Bower describes how Halligan, the lead prosecutor in the high-profile Letitia James case, reached out to her unprompted via Signal about some of Anna's tweets regarding recent developments in the case. The conversation explores media ethics, government transparency, journalistic integrity, and the highly unconventional nature of Halligan's outreach.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How the Correspondence Began

• Setting the Scene ([02:15]):

  • Anna recounts being approached by Halligan on a rare afternoon off while catching up on the Letitia James indictment news.
  • Halligan’s Signal DM came unsolicited:

    "It's not every day that I get messages on Signal unsolicited from the top prosecutor in Virginia who the president seems to have installed to prosecute some of his perceived political enemies." – Anna Bauer ([02:45])

  • Anna initially suspected the message was a hoax.

• Verifying Identity ([03:38]):

  • Anna and Lindsey had met briefly years prior at a hearing involving Trump's legal team, giving Anna a way to test if the Signal user was authentic.
  • Halligan correctly answered a challenge question about their first meeting, lending credibility to her identity.

2. The Content of Halligan’s Outreach ([04:45])

• Halligan was spurred by Anna's tweets—not reporting—about the Letitia James case, particularly by Anna’s summary and legal analysis taken from New York Times reporting on grand jury testimony.
• Halligan did not approach the New York Times, only Anna, raising immediate questions about her motivations.
• Anna notes the unusualness:

  "...one of the first things that was really unusual about this is that...it wasn't even my own reporting...it was tweets that I posted about someone else's reporting." – Anna Bauer ([06:22])

3. Substance and Tone of the Interaction

• Halligan appeared dissatisfied with Anna’s summary/analysis but was not specific about what was factually inaccurate.

  "I'm frankly not entirely sure what she was trying to tell me...I kept following up to say, what specifically is wrong? Because if it is wrong, I am happy to fix it." – Anna Bauer ([10:28])

• Halligan pointed Anna toward the indictment without clarifying her objection.

• Ben Wittes highlights the ambiguity:

  "...was she upset at you about a factual question or...your characterization of it?" – Ben Wittes ([11:53])

• Anna recounts how Halligan sometimes suggested Anna was wrong, other times warned her credibility was at stake, but never clarified her critiques.

4. On- and Off-the-Record Protocols ([21:23])

• The entire conversation occurred without any discussion or agreement regarding off-the-record communication.

  "...the whole of this conversation...she never even attempted to have a discussion about the basis on which we're speaking...I would find it really surprising beyond belief if Lindsey Halligan is not aware of how media relationships work." – Anna Bauer ([21:44])

• Only after Lawfare contacted the DOJ did Halligan retroactively declare the exchange "off the record," arguing that using Signal and disappearing messages implied confidentiality.

  "You don't get to retroactively say that something was off the record. You have to have an agreement with the journalist." – Anna Bauer ([23:23])

• Wittes underscores the impropriety and strangeness:

  "Government business on your personal devices...[and] disappearing messages...which are, you know, these are government records that you're supposed to be retaining." – Ben Wittes ([24:14])

5. Ethical and Legal Implications ([28:29])

• Both host and guest, and their contacts in journalism and prosecution, stress this kind of prosecutor outreach is "unheard of."

  "I've been doing this for 30 years. I've never heard of an interaction like this...Nobody could cite an example of something like this, right?" – Ben Wittes ([28:29])

• Anna reaffirms, among those consulted, "no one could cite an example of something like this" ([29:57]).
• Standard journalistic and prosecutorial protocols were not followed, potentially jeopardizing prosecutorial credibility and legal process.

6. Personal Dynamics & Reporting Approach ([32:05], [33:05])

• Ben notes the odd dynamic: Halligan seemed to expect Anna to act in a particular way, despite a distant, one-off prior interaction.

  "She really doesn't seem to like you very much and I, I hope that doesn't bother you too much." – Ben Wittes ([32:50])

• Anna:

  "I think it's interesting because at times she seemed to suggest that she expected a lot of me or a lot more of me. But then at other times...it was really unclear to me if she...had ever even read...what kind of reporting I do..." ([34:37])

• Anna’s reporting emphasizes public documents and proceedings over access-based scoops.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Anna on verifying Halligan:

  "I put [her number] in my phone, went back to our existing conversation and suddenly her phone number showed up. So we were...very confident...it really was Lindsey Halligan." ([15:03])

• Halligan’s retroactive ‘off-the-record’ claim:

  "By the way, everything that I said was off the record. And that is just simply not how it works.” – Anna Bauer ([22:30])

• On using Signal/disappearing messages as justification:

  "It's citing evidence...that you're not supposed to be doing...you're not supposed to be, you know, using disappearing messages...these are government records that you're supposed to be retaining." – Ben Wittes ([24:14])

• On how unusual the outreach was:

  "I've never met or described anybody else having such an interaction. I've never heard a journalist talk about a prosecutor...doing something like this." – Ben Wittes ([28:32])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• How the correspondence began and authentication steps: [02:15]–[05:36]
• What triggered Halligan’s outreach: [06:13]–[10:02]
• Ambiguity of Halligan’s objections: [11:53]–[14:07]
• Forensic process of identity verification: [15:03]
• DOJ confirmation and Halligan’s retroactive off-the-record claim: [20:16]–[24:14]
• Discussion on professional protocols, legal community reaction: [28:29]–[31:16]
• Exploring the personal dynamic and Anna’s reporting approach: [32:05]–[34:53]
• Closing remarks, Anna’s next steps: [36:09]–[36:44]

Conclusion

This episode offers a rare inside look at an anomalous and ethically fraught interaction between a senior prosecutor and a legal journalist. Through Anna’s meticulous recounting and Ben’s probing questions, listeners gain insight into media-prosecutor relations, the stringent norms that govern them, and what it means when those norms are disregarded. The conversation underscores the importance of journalistic transparency and government accountability, and the sobering risks when precedent is ignored.

Further Reading:
Anna Bower’s original article on the signal exchange is available at Lawfare. Subscribe to Lawfare’s YouTube and Substack for future episodes and analyses.